An 18-year-old Nebraska woman, Chloe Coplen-Anderson, was sentenced to 35 to 60 years in prison on Thursday for the brutal murder of her newborn son. The young woman, who was 16 at the time of the crime, had secretly given birth in her bedroom before using a kitchen knife to end the infant’s life, according to the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office.
Coplen-Anderson had pleaded no contest to second-degree murder charges. The prosecution revealed that she had concealed her pregnancy from her parents and had given birth in her family home in Gordon on November 6, 2023. After the birth, she retrieved a knife from the kitchen and returned to her room, where she fatally wounded the newborn.
The police were alerted to the situation when the teenager’s father reported that the baby was not breathing. Upon arrival, the father informed the responding officer that the child was stillborn and beyond saving, as per court documents. However, the scene that greeted the officer told a different story.
The officer found the lifeless infant in the teenager’s room, wrapped in a towel. The baby had a severed windpipe and multiple stab wounds on the left side of his chest, as per court records. The mother, visibly upset, pointed out marks on the baby and implicated her daughter in the infant’s death. Both parents also reported seeing their daughter take a knife from the kitchen earlier that day.
The murder weapon was not initially found at the scene. However, the police were later summoned back to the house when Coplen-Anderson’s father discovered a blood-stained knife in his daughter’s closet.
The teenager’s attorney, Todd Lancaster, told reporters that his client had been a victim of family abuse and that the brutal act was a result of enduring trauma and mental health issues. He also stated that Coplen-Anderson had been impregnated by a 19-year-old when she was just 15.
Coplen-Anderson, who has already served nearly two years in prison, could be at least 76 years old before she is eligible for release. Her time already served will be counted towards her sentence.